1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a monitoring system and a monitoring method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a monitoring system and a monitoring method for home security and/or safety purposes.
2. Related Art
Nowadays, there is an increasing demand for household or home security, not only as a countermeasure against of violation of private property, but also for safety in house against fire, gas leakage, quakes and the like. There is also an increasing demand for remote monitoring of house activity, especially for households having small children, elderly people or pets.
A method for remotely monitoring and controlling a home security system is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Publication US 2001/0034586 A1, Japanese Laid-open JP 2001-189814 and JP 2001-76273, in which electronic devices located at a property are remotely monitored and/or controlled.
Japanese Laid-open JP 2000-99862 discloses a system including a home server and various sensors including a plurality of cameras. The system detects an intruder by using a sensor and stores image data before and after the detection of the intruder.
Japanese Laid-open JP 2000-235688 discloses a system including a sensor, camera, network connecting unit and controller. When the sensor or camera detects an event such as break-in, the controller send a preset message that may include image data to a security service business operator, police station, another PC terminal, or a user's cell phone via Internet or telephone net.